Paul "Triple H" Levesque shared his booking philosophy during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
Endeavor/TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel made the decision last month that Levesque would once again be the person "making all the key decisions" regarding WWE booking. It's a role Levesque says he's particularly suited to fill because he's worked at all stages of the industry.
“I started at zero and saw all the various stages of it,” said Levesque. “I’ve worked in front of basically no people, and I’ve worked the biggest shows in the world. I understand the process–the successes and the failures. Even when you get an opportunity to move up the card, then you’re moved back down and you’re not sure if you’re going to get that opportunity again–I’ve been there.”
However, Vince McMahon still plays a role in the creative direction of the company, Justin Barrasso noted in the article. "This means there is less interference from Vince McMahon, which is not to imply McMahon is entirely removed from the process," he wrote.
Levesque continued to say that McMahon always taught him to view the product from the perspective of a fan and to book what people want to see.
“Vince taught me years ago, you put yourself in the seats and you’ll never go wrong,” said Levesque. “You’ve always got to maintain that perspective. I started out as a fan. Book what people want to feel and see.”
“Writing this stuff is a feel,” said Levesque. “You can analyze stories and how they come together, but how does it make you feel? If you can make people feel those stories, they’re going to be invested in the product. That’s how we try to approach, find that ultimate emotional place for the talent and the characters and the stories they’re in.”
“We don’t take our fan base for granted,” Levesque continued. “And the way our talent operates is different from other generations. They want to go out there and put on the best possible show they can."
“A lot of these kids are already invested–they grew up wanting to do this. And if they didn’t, they fell in love with it by learning from people who grew up wanting to be in this business, and that’s how they learned the respect for it. To me, that’s what makes you successful. That connection with our fan base, that’s a big part of our core.”
Saturday will be Triple H's second Survivor Series event as the Chief Content Officer of WWE. At last year's event, Levesque debuted War Games on the main roster. The event will return at the 2023 edition in Chicago.